Aside from one or two fishing jollies which never really went anywhere, can't say I have. What's the scene in the UK like (not counting amateur anglers)?

>>2293
I never hunted in my life. I would come to a .gs hunting trip, if there ever was one.

>>2295

As prey?

>>2295

We could capture a troll and hunt him through the woods or marshes.

>>2297

>marshes.

We could hunt this thing through the marshes. I don't know if I'd want to eat it though.

>>2293
What did happen at Deliverance? Did it even happen?

Quite a few times with relatives in Canada, but never over here; there's simply too much expense and bureaucracy involved for it even be worth the trouble. Seems silly to me that hunting is so over-regulated when we're facing a problem with deer overrunning the countryside - we could introduce more straightforward hunting licensing, introduce a system of seasonal permits (with modest fees) and quotas managed my conservationists, and let regular people get in on the fun.

>>2300

I'd much prefer introducing wolves and bears, but hey.

>>2298

I wouldn't want that tainting the countryside. Some sort of dark cave would be better.

>>2298
Jesus Christ how horrible.

>>2300

It's not a cheap pastime, but it's not totally inaccessible either. You can do a day of deer stalking for about £100, game or wildfowl for as little as £40 and many clubs will take you out on a woodpigeon shoot for the price of a box of shells and a couple of pints. Buying a shotgun involves no more paperwork or fuss than buying a moped, and costs no more than a decent set of golf clubs. Getting a firearms certificate does require a police visit, but it's not some sort of interrogation, just a check to ensure that you have suitable secure storage in place. You don't need to own a gun to go shooting, as most clubs have a good selection available for hire.

There's a popular perception that shooting in this country is some rarefied pursuit that's the preserve of wealthy aristocrats, but that's simply not true.

>>2304

How is life in the cabinet office, lad?

>>2304
>costs no more than a decent set of golf clubs.
Am I supposed to know what a decent set of golf clubs costs?

>>2300
Mate the people of this country flip their shit over foxes and badgers never mind fucking bambi, it'll never happen. Common sense can't ever prevail over hypocritical whining in the UK, ever.

>>2301

This would be the most sensible option.

The problem we encounter is Farmers, as the majority of our countryside is Farmland. Even if they let them loose in the wilds of Scotland the wolves at least would rather take sheep than deer.

Stirlingshire has a large deer problem, but it's far too urbanised and the bits that aren't are farmland so it wouldn't work.

Which is unfortunate, as it would give people a healthy respect for the wilderness and we wouldn't end up with beautiful rural beaches covered in the corpes of poor defenceless crustaceans.

Our ancestors spent a lot of time getting rid of anything that could eat people for a good reason. Lets not go back to that.

>>2309
There's over 60 million of the most dangerous animals on earth, prone to attacking humans for no good reason at all, in the UK. When does your extermination plan kick off, lad?

>>2309

It had nothing to do with them eating people and everything to do with them eating livestock.

The majority of predators are terrified of us and will only attack us when we are isolated or vulnerable, for good reason. We are ruthless predators that suffer no competition. Reciprocal altruism and kin selection had nothing to do with it.

Actually I was largely referring to shooting rabbits and small game with air rifles, as is probably the easiest way in Onglend.

>>2312

Pigeons and rabbit are good targets. With a decent air rifle it's also all about your skill.

I've been on many pheasant shoots both as a beater and a shooter and I own a shotgun. I've gone lamping for rabbits with an air rifle quite a lot as a teenager with my dad, or setting ferrets down warrens.

>>2308

>The problem we encounter is Farmers, as the majority of our countryside is Farmland. Even if they let them loose in the wilds of Scotland the wolves at least would rather take sheep than deer.

Man release wolf.
Wolf eat sheep.
Farmer kill wolf.
Man release more wolf.
Wolf eat sheep.
Man continue release wolf.
Wolf eat farmer.
Wolf take over farm.

Now all are equal.

I say we just shoot anything on four legs or with feathers. As long as we can convince someone to eat it after it is justified.

>>2316
What if it's so far away that you can't tell it's deeply infected with something nasty?

>>2318

Then obviously it is a mercy kill and makes us the good guys.

I have a TX200 I use to shoot the odd rabbit and pheasant when the weather is agreeable. My younger brother just got an air rifle himself and wants to come hunting with me some time soon. It'll be a grand time.

>>2306

Give or take £300 for a shotgun with a full set of chokes. £5.00 for a box of shells give or take some for quality.
£50 for a gun bag.
Not sure what a gun safe goes for now though.

It's more expensive to get a decent crossbow in Britain than it is to pick up a small rifle or a shotgun. Quite ridiculous really.

>>2321

Any time I've talked to crossbow user it requires more effort to keep it running true as well, so there's a few pitfalls awaiting a new start.

>>2321

Also you can't (legally) hunt with any kind of bow.

>>2323

A conversation I had with a gameskeeper confirms that, I asked and he said we could hunt squirrels on his land but no bows, we'd have to curtsey.

>>2320

Looks very nice. Is it live round or air rifle? And is it a single shot capacity or does it have some sort of magazine?

How much did it set you back?

>>2377
http://www.theairguncentre.com/online-shop/air-arms/air-arms-tx200

Springers = spring-powered pellet shooter.

>>Also you can't (legally) hunt with any kind of bow.

But if you see a Scotsman with a bow and arrow within the city walls of York you can legally murder him.

>>2379

No you can't. That's a myth.

>>2394
Fuck da police.

I have a BSA ulra se multishot. Pre-charged pneumatic air rifle with a bolt action mechanism. Accurate as hell, although I wish I had gone for the 177 version over the 22.

I also have access to a friends' farm of 20 acres, so there's plenty to shoot when the weather is decent enough. Gets me out the house and you get a free meal out of it, it's a nice hobby.

>>2399

That is nice looking rifle. How much does it weigh? I've got a BSA superten, but it's too heavy to take on long walks. Attached image isn't mine, I found it on some site. Looking to sell mine and get something a lot lighter

>>2399
>I wish I had gone for the 177 version over the 22
Why?

>>2401

Not him, but .177 almost always works better at the 12ft/lbs limit. You get more shots from the same amount of air, flatter trajectories and similar levels of terminal energy. .22 only really works better for more powerful FAC air rifles, where the heavier .22 pellet can carry more energy without breaking the sound barrier (which does terrible things to the flight characteristics of an airgun pellet).

>>2400

The Superten isn't massively heavy in the scheme of things. You could save maybe two pounds in weight by switching to an Air Arms S200 or Superlite, but I suspect that your problem is really your choice of sling or carrying system. If you're set up so that the weight of the rifle is well balanced and carried on your shoulders, then you hardly notice the weight.

>>2403

Will look at getting a decent sling. Thanks for the advice

My mate took this, he's looking after my rifle while I'm overseas. The one on the left is mine; Precharge, 14 round capacity .22 'HW 100'. The one on the right is a single shot spring loader.